Security is has become increasingly important as it relates to authentication of customers who interact with contact centers. Almost every retailer and financial institution offers multiple mechanisms by which customers may contact them. These include email, on-line, telephone, chat, text, social media and other. The security community has long sought a viable, relatively easy to implement security factor to supplement and fortify passwords and other identification information (e.g., a person's address, last four of a person's social security number, birthdates, etc) as a means for user authentication. Previous attempts have been hamstrung by solutions that are too expensive and cumbersome to enjoy mainstream adoption.